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Dec 30, 2009

Brooke rated it:

Fables & Reflections was probably my least favorite Sandman volume so far. While I delighted in the single-issue stories in Dream Country, the ones contained in this one didn't thrill me as much. I lost my focus a few times and wished there weren't so many grouped together without a common theme. Dream Country, on the other hand, was the perfect taste of outside-the-plot mini tales.

The stories about Orpheus were the most interesting, being the most relevant to Dream, and I found myse More...

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Sep 01, 2011

Airiz rated it:

Fables and Reflections, like Dream Country, is comprised of stand-alone tales that explore the Sandman universe without directly zeroing in on the Endless themselves. There’s a lot to like here, but there are a few issues that I found a tad unsatisfying because some tales feel like they could use a sequel or something. Anyway, I guess that’s already given when it comes to compendiums—stories in them would never be of the same caliber.

I found the Vertigo preview about Todd Faber inte More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Andrew rated it:

I used to stubbornly think that graphic novels had no intellectual merits other than for amateur entertainment (I know, pedestal). This series not only blew me away visually, but caused me to see graphic novels in a new light. Everyone should read this series.

Here's what i want to say, but someone else said it first and better than i could:
"Erudite, allusive, complex and ambitious, SANDMAN is undoubtedly the finest writing the mainstream comic book industry has ever seen. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 11, 2011

Klytia rated it:

Il sesto volume della serie presenta ancora una raccolta di storie brevi dove incontriamo Joshua Norton, l’Imperatore degli Stati Uniti, un regista che deve decidere se volare o cadere, un lupo mannaro a caccia dei suoi sogni, Joanna Constantine in cerca del figlio di Sogno, Marco Polo, l’Imperatore Augusto, Harun al Rashid sovrano di Bagdad e molti altri.</p>

Alcuni episodi meritano una particolare attenzione in quanto, a differenza degli altri, maggiormente legati alla storia principale n

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Jan 28, 2009

Eileen rated it:

Fables and Reflections is another volume in the Sandman series that is a collection of short stories. Once again, Neil Gaiman displays his deft touch with some brilliant story-telling: Ramadan, Orpheus, and The Hunt are my favourites from this volume, although I do like most of the stories in this volume. While they are standalone stories, some do have linkages with previous and future volumes, which make it confusing for me at times because I feel that I'm not getting the full picture. There we More...

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Jun 11, 2011

Ryan rated it:

This is the second time I've read this particular entry in the Sandman series, and it doesn't cease to amaze. It's no wonder an issue of Sandman won the World Fantasy Award (I believe that's what it was called) much to the chagrin of many purists who refused to accept graphic novels as a viable medium. The fact is, Sandman is scads better than almost all of the traditional books I have ever read.

This particular compilation is a must read, particularly for history lovers, particular More...

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Feb 10, 2011

Tancredi rated it:

- Sogni. Cosa sono i sogni? I sogni sono niente, fratello.
- I Sogni sono "niente", sorella? Senza sogni, non ci sarebbe Disperazione.

Sul volume in particolare:
Questo è un Gaiman particolarmente storico. Questo volume è una raccolta di episodi ambientanti in diverse epoche, dall'epoca del principato di Augusto alla rivoluzione francese. L'amore per la verità storica qui si unisce alla sua fantasia originalissima e alla sua indole scrutatrice dell'animo umano.
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Dec 15, 2009

Jason rated it:

After reading two fairly profound, novel-length, "comic book" story arcs, I was expecting to that this collection of short stories would be filler, light stuff that Gaiman could crank out while catching his breath, preparing for the next run. Boy, was I wrong.

The first story in this collection, "Three Septembers and a January," brought me to tears as I read it on my lunch break. It tells the story of one Joshua Abraham Norton, the first and only Emperor of the Uni More...

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Jul 29, 2009

M. rated it:

This book, Fables and Reflections, is a very solid entry in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. It features a variety of loosely connected stories that revolve around Dream of the Endless, and some of his siblings. Most of these stories are standalone issues: only one, which deals with Dream's relationship with his son Orpheus, plays a role in the larger Sandman saga. However, every one of these stories is infused with a poetic beauty and richness that showcases, if nothing else, Neil Gaiman's amazing More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 22, 2009

Mary added it

A collection of stories about fabulous people and places.
From "Soft Places":
"Time at the edge of the dreaming is softer than elsewhere, and here in the soft places it loops and whorls on itself. In the soft places where the border between dreams and reality is eroded, or has not yet formed .... In the soft places, where the geographies of dream intrude upon the real.... There were more of them in the olden days. I remember, when I was just a young vicinity, there were so More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

I wanted to like this more, but was at least pleased I was able to identify both why I didn't, and why I don't think I'm ready to give up on graphic novels just yet. First, as a novice graphic novel reader, I had a lot of trouble with the interface of this collection. There were elaborate and totally beautiful title pages to each of the stories that I could have looked at forever, but their aesthetics weren't matched by the drawings in the stories themselves. In general, the drastically differen More...

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Jan 03, 2012

Eva rated it:

This volume contains a variety of stand-alone stories. While disconnected, these stories all deal with well-known people or myths, with Gaiman giving them his own Sandman spin. The story of Norton I is my favorite, since it is such a wonderful explanation for his actions. Ramadan is a beautifully drawn story, but I felt as though there was too much back story in words. I also loved the drawings for Abel's story. Those little characters are absolutely adorable, and the switch in voice and story w More...

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May 02, 2009

Mark rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 15, 2011

D.M. rated it:

This is a wonderful and wondrous collection of stories, lacking the continuing arc of most of the series. It may be that which makes me like it so much, since Dream himself becomes a supporting character and occasional impetus rather than the driving force as in much of Sandman. The artists collected in this volume clearly drive the narrative in the way that makes Gaiman such a unique talent in comics, and they are some of the best assembled for the title.
The stories:
'Fear of Falling' More...

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Jan 29, 2012

Anthony rated it:

Being the sixth volume in the Sandman series, "Reflections and Fables" takes a different twist than readers are accustomed to - a volume entirely of the past. There are nine stories in the volume, each relating to the Sandman universe in its own way, yet each remarkably different and unique in their own way (minus the Orpheus volumes).

The opening chapter, Fear of Falling, really a prologue, is in itself wonderfully written and in only a few pages it packs a powerful message. More...

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Dec 30, 2010

Karissa rated it:

This was another excellent volume in the Sandman series. Instead of being one long story this book consists of multiple stories; each story illustrated by a different artist. The stories are what the title suggests; fables and reflections.

The stories touch on familiar fables and myths. Everything from Faust to Eurydice. This book was particularly interesting since more of Morpheus's family shows up. You get to meet a number of his siblings; his sister Death in particular makes a number More...

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May 17, 2011

Fox rated it:

Do you remember those days when you were young, singing in front of the campfire, listening to the stories those around you had to tell? Maybe a parent, maybe a grandparent or a sibling - but whoever it was who told the stories, they told them magnificently. You could close your eyes and see the past, not as it was, but as it should have been. You hung upon every word, and by the time the tale was over, for a day, two days, a week or more the images - the feelings - they stuck with you. They More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Sara marked it as to-read

This one contains some of my favorite art of the series so far, but probably not my favorite stories. (I did really enjoy "Ramadan" however!!) The art towards the end of the volume was just lovely! Nice and neat and clean and colorful! I can't neglect to mention the fact that we get to see Dream and Death in chibi form thanks to sweet Abel's storytelling skills. That was soo→ cute! I loved it. I wasn't a big fan of the whole Orpheus story, however. I didn't like anything about it More...

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Jun 20, 2011

Poonam rated it:

Fun book surrounding dreams of several interesting characters and legends. Collection of Fables. Very nice introductory comic about a budding playwright and his dream.

Story of Orpheus (son of Morpheus and Calliope) and Eurydice. I loved the fact we have read about Calliope before. Aristaeus. (My favorite story was this one.)
Lady Johanna Constantine (a previous character. Mark Twain is another character in the story.
Caius Augustus, Emperor Augustus. Suggestion that Julius More...

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Jun 02, 2011

Deborah rated it:

This is the ISBN of the book I read, but not the cover. That bugs me for some reason. But, I like the description with this edition, so I'll stick with it. This volume of the series has several separate stories, featuring historical events/figures as well as mythological events/figures, with Dream showing up as part of each story. I really liked these! The writing was superb, as usual, and the art was lovely. I'm drawn more to the historical and mythological bent of this volume, more than More...

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Mar 24, 2010

Joey rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 16, 2011

Moira rated it:

Jsem trochu nesvá z toho, jak často Gaiman mění své "malíře". Hodně jsem si oblíbila kresby Malcolma Jonese III. (takové jeho jméno vážně je uvedené.. :D), dost se mi líbily i kresby Mika Dringenberga. Kresby, které otevíraly a uzavíraly (uprostřed byl jiný ilustrátor) Báje a odlesky mi nesedly. Vůbec. I kolorování se mi zdálo odbyté (našla jsem dvě chyby a to jsem na to nijak pozor nedávala xP).

Taky v této knize jde hezky odpozorovat, jakým stylem Gaiman píše. Za pochodu. D More...

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Jul 15, 2009

Bunny rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Kaethe rated it:

My favorite was the story of Emperor Norton. I'm not sure I got the point of the Caesar story. The Orpheus story was just so sad. But I loved the grandfather telling the uninterested granddaughter a story about their people in the old country.

Library copy.

6 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 08, 2012

Simon rated it:

After Dream Country I wasn't really looking forward to another collection of random tales, rather than a full story told over several issues, but this time it worked due to the thematic links between the tales. All are set in different historical periods, often based around real historical figures, and most deal in some way or another with rulers and authority figures, and how they deal with their responsibilities.
There are some weaks links, as in any collection (I find Cain and Abel's viol More...

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Mar 17, 2009

Nathan rated it:

Quite possibly the most moving book in the sandman series simply because it doesn't follow the normal story arch which is apoint many of the reviewers here seem to be missing. Gaimans talents as an author truly shine through in his short stories. Ranging from the story of a deranged wager with the Endless that provides the reader with one more glimpse into Dreams clouded past, to the powerful story Ramadan which, propelled by absolutely breathtaking images, helps to show more of dreams inhumanit More...

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Dec 19, 2011

Gef rated it:

The last time I dove into The Sandman series was when I read Volume 5 back in May of last year. As it turns out it was this volume, Fables and Reflections, that originally garnered my interest for this series, because I had seen more than one list citing this the best of the entire series and in comics period.

Like a few of the other books in the series, this is a collection of stand-alone stories rather than one long narrative. There are some winks and nods to past storylines, though.
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Dec 19, 2010

Mayank rated it:

I love this series more and more. It gets deeper, richer, more and more layers reveal themselves. I loved the special about Baghdad and Haroun Al Raschid. At the point in the story where Haroun worries about whether or not his city will ever last, I thought to myself "It would be mind blowing if this story ends with images of present day Baghdad and how it has been shattered by war." And i don't want to add spoilers, but the ending was more than satisfactory.

Then there was th More...

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Dec 27, 2010

DDog rated it:

I must have read the first few stories some other time and had to send it back, or read it in the library but didn't take it home, because they were very familiar but I didn't know the other others. My least favorite sequence was probably the Orpheus stories in the middle; I know it too well, and adding the Endless didn't make it that much newer, though the art was lovely and it was nice to see Destruction for once instead of just hearing about him and to get some background for the Calliope sto More...

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Jun 23, 2009

Patti rated it:

Composed of nine stand-alone stories, Fables and Reflections seems to serve as a catch-all for all the issues of The Sandman that didn't fit in any other volume. Yet unlike Dream Country (Vol. 3), the previous collection of stand-alones, these tales have a connecting thread: all are rooted in historical figures, folklore, or mythology.

Generally, the stories here were all good; Gaiman seems to be at his best with short fables. The standout, though, was the poignantly told and beauti More...

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